Subordinates
by Unfourtanate
Summary: Discontinued until further notice.
1. Prologue

_**Important Notice: **This is a new and improved version of 'Subordinate Passion'. It's pretty much the same story, but I've rewritten it because I pretty much can't stand my old writing style. I'm still not pleased with the way I write, but I'm more satisfied with it than I was a few years ago! Ahem, anyway! I'm sorry for deleting the other chapters, my older reviewers! Mind you, I doubt any of you remember them anyway! This is the first chapter I've posted on for... whew, how long? Two years? Maybe less than that. Well, I hope you enjoy, everyone! Please leave lovely constructive reviews and whatnot so I can be motivated to move from my bed and actually write something. Enjoy!_

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Out of the chaotic heavens came never-ending droplets of dark and cold rain, crashing into the concrete pavements and brick buildings of Central City. Although it was arguably one of the biggest and most thriving cities in Amestris, Central now resembled a ghost town. Not a single civilian dared to leave their homes to venture out into the storm – such an act would be foolish. The streets and roads were silent except for the continuously-flowing rain and violent rumbles of thunder. It was nearing midnight, and the freezing January air left extraordinary frosty patterns on each and every window in the city. Frozen dewdrops clung to the blades of grass before the Central Military Command Headquarters as an arctic wind blew through the city. The sharp, cold air meant that snow was on its way, from the distant Briggs mountain range. Most homes were dark, and everyone was asleep in their beds – save for one man.

Colonel Roy Mustang yawned loudly, covering his open mouth with his white gloved hand. He had been standing in the window for – what? Ten minutes? Twenty? An hour? Rain had never been one of the Colonel's favourite things. But he didn't hate it either. The way it danced and twirled carelessly in the sky reminded him of his previous life as an innocent young boy, with hopes and dreams of becoming a respected leader of his beloved Amestris. The way it crashed into the many obstacles of its path caused him to jerk back into the harsh reality.

The Colonel sighed. He could never decide if he liked rain or not. It both pleased and displeased him. He leaned against the window pane, which creaked ominously. He pulled away again and frowned, looking around the office. Everything's falling apart in this room, he thought, walking slowly around the various desks. A broken oil lantern sat self-consciously on a subordinate's desk, and the carpet around the door was frayed and tattered. The Colonel found himself wishing he was back in his own, plush office. He was furious with himself for carelessly clicking his fingers whilst on the phone with a certain soldier (who kept pestering him to find a girl and get married) a few days earlier. His stupid actions had caused his entire office to catch on fire. It was lucky that his office was on the ground floor, or else leaping through the window would have been a very silly thing to do.

"Really, Roy," Maes Hughes had said over the phone in his usual happy tone. "It's time for you to settle down! If you want to experience happiness, you need to find a good wife and start a family together."

"For the last time, Maes, stop calling me while I'm at work."

"You need to find a special someone, if you get my drift! A special woman; or even a special man! Whatever floats your boat, Roy! But Gracia is so lovely, Roy, and my little Elysia is as sweet as a button!"

The Lieutenant Colonel went on and on and on and on, until Mustang finally lost his sanity and decided to find out once and for all whether or not it was possible to send a ball of fire through a phone line. Apparently, it wasn't. And now, here he was – stuck without an office, by himself at midnight. 'I need to get a life,' he thought, laughing humourlessly as he sat down on one of the leather sofas. He reclined, and stared up at the colourless walls. Although the office was getting more terrible by the day, his subordinates tried their best to make it look homey. A few framed photographs were perched on the desks, with family members of his soldiers smiling out at Roy. A larger photograph hung from the wall, polished and shining because it had only been hung there a few days earlier.

The photograph featured Mustang and his subordinates in their office, and instead of sitting stiffly with false smiles and awkward poses, this photo showed the soldiers on a typical day in the HQ. Master Sergeant Kain Fuery was sitting by his desk, fixing broken surveillance equipment with one hand and rubbing a black and white dog's underside with the other. Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda was punching the air victoriously while Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc stared in disbelief at the chessboard before him. Warrant Officer Vato Falman stood behind Havoc, ready to restrain the man in case he decided to lash out at the cocky Breda. First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was standing before the window in the background, her back to the others as she glanced at the Colonel, who was slumped in his chair and clearly abusing his work by dozing in his chair, fast asleep. Through the window, the blurred figure of Lieutenant Colonel Karashi Jarrett could be seen stretching his long body on the grass before the HQ, appreciating the autumn sun while his loose canines ran freely across the lawn, chasing a certain Major Edward Elric and nipping at his leather boots as he freaked out. A giant suit of armour named Alphonse Elric could be seen glaring at Karashi Jarrett for abusing his duties, and clenching his metallic knuckles, while Major Alex Armstrong posed in the background, flexing his muscles. He didn't know he was being photographed; he was simply posing out of pure boredom. The photograph had been taken by Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, and he had accidentally placed his thumb on the camera lens. His thumb covered part of First Lieutenant Derek Noir-Andrew's grotesquely disfigured face as the half-metal young man snapped something at Master Sergeant Isadora Liner, who frowned at her angry superior as she swung a silver spanner in her hand.

The photograph was terrible, concluded Mustang with an amused smile creeping on his face. But it showed the entertaining side of the Military – if there was one. He had seen his fair share of blood, death and burning corpses over his decade as a soldier. Now, as a higher-ranking Colonel, he tended to stray from the battlefield and reside in the Central HQ with his subordinates, struggling to erase the memories of all the innocent people he had been forced to murder by his higher-ups. Just that morning, Maes Hughes had been called out to investigate another crime scene; the third that week. Another bloody corpse of a State Alchemist had been found slumped in an alleyway, its insides splattered all over the dank walls. Edward Elric had happened to see the culprit rush away, but everyone knew who the murderer was without someone to prove it.

"Scar," Edward had hissed furiously, stomping into the office and slamming the door behind him. No one said a word as the young alchemist added lowly, "The same alley. The same alley where he killed Nina." Scar of Ishvala was a known State Alchemist-murderer, and had killed Brigadier General Basque Grand, a famed and legendary alchemist who, albeit cold, had been a brilliant man. Scar had even tried to murder Edward Elric, but the youngster had escaped with no injuries, but his metal arm had been crushed into pieces. Young Nina, however, had not been as lucky with her life. She had been transmuted with the body of her dog – by her own father. Her sick, twisted body had escaped onto the streets, where Scar took pity on her and ended her life. Edward did not see Scar's act as kindness. He saw it as a cruel, horrid murder, and would not rest until Scar was behind bars, or dead. It had been three or four years since Nina Tucker's death, yet Edward still returned to Central every few months to help with the capture of Scar of Ishvala.

Mustang sighed, and smiled softly at the amateur photograph on the wall. It truly was nice to see the lighter side of the dark Military. He yawned and stretched on the tattered old sofa; it had grown soft and shapeless after years of bearing the weight of several resting soldiers, but it was comfortable enough for Mustang. But as he nestled his weary body into the sofa, he found himself sitting up suddenly and hissing in pain as his stomach flared up. He took in a sharp intake of breath and hissed again – it was getting worse.

The Colonel was famed for his fiery techniques and heroic antics; he was often referred to as the Flame Alchemist, or the Hero of Ishvala. His talent with corrupting fire was near-legendary, yet only a handful of people knew of his forbidden interest in the shunned human transmutation. And no one knew of his failed attempt at bringing a human back from beyond the grave. The innocent attempt had gone disastrously wrong, and had cost Mustang dearly. Ever since the day, nine years ago, his body had been slowly deteriorating, although it was barely noticeable – at first. Recently, however, Mustang had grown weaker yet, and the occasional stomach ache was becoming more and more frequent, and harder and harder to hide from his subordinates. True to her name, Riza Hawkeye had noticed his bad condition, and had often urged him to go and see a doctor. Mustang always said that he would never allow a doctor to mess about with his insides.

Slowly, Mustang lay down again, trying to ignore the pain. It was starting to fade away now, anyway. He really should be home by now, but he was so tired... However, if Hawkeye found him sleeping in the office (again), she would shoot him into next Tuesday. Mustang sighed; the pain was almost gone already. He may as well walk home before the pain returned-

A violent spray of blood came pouring from his mouth as Mustang coughed furiously. Blood was sent over his gloved hands as he tried to stop himself, but just couldn't. His stomach, lungs – everything burned. He couldn't breathe; the blood was blocking his airways and his vision was becoming blurred. He tried to stagger onto his legs, but they buckled and he collapsed to the carpet, his body shaking violently as blood seeped across the brown carpet. "Oh God," hissed Mustang, before everything became black and his body fell limply into a pool of his own blood.


	2. Chapter 1: Alchemy

_**Author's Note: **Oh my! I'm terribly sorry for the long wait, my dear readers! It may've seemed as if I'd forgotten about this fanfiction, but I haven't! You've already read the prologue, so here's the first chapter! Read, enjoy, review! Yay!_

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Riza Hawkeye had not slept well that night, and the bruise-like shadows beneath her sore eyes were proof of this. The thunderstorm during the night had raged against her windows, tormenting her as she buried her head beneath her pillows, struggling to find peace as her dog slept peacefully in his basket, completely oblivious to the raging storm outside. As the storm finally broke, Riza fell asleep at long last... for about fifteen minutes. At half past six in the morning - like clockwork - Black Hayate the black and white dog got up and started to bark and yip for food and attention. Riza was so exhausted, she had nearly shot her poor dog with the pistol she kept on her bedside table at all times.

She stood now in the kitchen, tossing a few spare scraps of meat at her hungry dog as she rubbed her eyes and yawned. The wooden floor was cold against her feet, and she wished she was back in her warm bed. Riza usually had a morning off on Sundays, but not today. She had to go in to Headquarters to cover for Lieutenant Derek Noir-Andrews, the latest soldier to join Mustang's cell. He was the youngest of the Lieutenants by being just twenty, but he was also a skilled swordsman, and very swift. He had joined the Military at just fourteen, and had often served as the Fuhrer's servant by tracking down his personal enemies and slaying them. Being so small and young, he had also been used as a spy, for no one would suspect him of being a soldier. As a spy, he was known as D.N.A., and was one of the Fuhrer's prized soldiers – until he lost his abilities in a gruesome accident.

Seven years ago, Derek Noir-Andrews's house caught on fire. Everyone knew the heroic tale of how Derek rushed into the burning building to save his six year old sister. Everyone knew that he loved his sister. And everyone knew that if Derek had not been crushed and burned to half-death by a fallen beam, he would have rescued her before she perished in the flames.

Miraculously, Derek had not been killed by the horrific accident, but had severe wounds and had lost the entire left side of his body. He had been immediately taken out of the Military – much to Fuhrer King Bradley's dismay. However, Derek could not be found in any hospitals. It was discovered that Harry Noir-Andrews - Derek's father and a genius automail engineer - had teamed up with a group of skilled surgeons to save Derek's mangled body. It took three long years for the process to become complete, and two weeks ago, Derek had returned to the Military as a high-ranking Lieutenant.

"Today's Noir-Andrews's first day after seven years," the Colonel had said before Derek's arrival. Riza remembered her initial horror when the door swung open and the young Lieutenant walked in. She saw everyone's jaws drop, including her own, and even the Colonel gasped, although he tried to disguise it as a cough. Before the subordinates stood a young man with barely any flesh – just cold hard metal.

Edward Elric was famed for his metal limbs, but the newest Lieutenant was on a whole different level. He had no left eye, ear, jaw or cheek. He had grown his black hair long in hopes of covering parts of his disfigured face, but his synthetic eye was clear and piercing, its blank white stare drilling into the subordinates' minds. His lost flesh had been replaced with metal, giving him the appearance of a half-human, half-machine. His nose and mouth were still human, but the entirety of his left body had been replaced with thick, cold metal. His steel fingers clicked as he raised his hand to shake Mustang's, and the rattle of his metal leg could be heard in the deathly-silent office. Riza dared not to think of what the poor man's insides must look like.

"My name's Derek Noir-Andrews," he had said firmly to the subordinates. Riza was impressed – he was clearly not a man to boss around. She respected him, because he was determined to be like any other soldier. However, in his state, he would never be the same as the other subordinates. Although he was still incredibly quick and mesmerising with a sword, he was also very, very vulnerable. His split body meant it was easy for infections to slip in between the gaps and weaken Derek. Also, his automail constantly needed attention, which made life in an office quite awkward for the young man. He had his own assistant – Major Sergeant Isadora Liner. Miss Liner was about the same age as Edward Elric, perhaps even younger. She was very small and pretty, but Riza had not heard her say one word to any of the subordinates except for Mustang and Derek. She was like Derek's second shadow – she was constantly sitting behind him with her silver spanner swinging around her index finger. Unlike Winry Rockbell, the Elrics' automail mechanic, Isadora Liner was also an alchemist. She used her alchemy on Derek's body, which was a very rare sight, for healing Derek's body with alchemy was just one step away from human transmutation. No wonder Mustang and Edward had such an interest in the small girl, thought Riza grimly as she padded to her bedroom.

Riza pulled the curtains open in hope of shedding some sunlight into her dark bedroom, but was disappointed. The sun had only just started to rise, but it was hidden behind the towering grey buildings of Central City. The dark storm clouds were finally starting to push away into the morning, but the sky was still murky and gloomy, with no hint of blue. Riza sighed heavily and pulled away from the window. She picked up a comb and began to run it through her blond hair, not bothering to check her appearance in the mirror – she was too tired for that. She scraped her locks into tight ponytail, before securing it in place with a maroon clip.

In just seven minutes, Riza was already tying the shoelaces of her heavy black boots. She buttoned up her navy and silver uniform and made sure her trousers – an unusual choice for women in the Military – were smooth and wrinkle-free. Satisfied, she glanced in the mirror – and grimaced. Her maroon eyes looked sore, and she had the appearance of a drunkard who'd been caught in a fight the previous night. Riza did not have enough time to put on any make-up, so she decided to hide behind her paperwork all day so that the others would not see her tired face.

"Heel, Hayate," she said, her voice surprisingly stern for so early in the morning. Black Hayate immediately obeyed, and the two left the apartment as the sun was finally starting to push through the clouds. Riza locked the front door and walked down the open-air hallway, which was empty and silent in the early morning. She hurried down the stone steps for two flights before finally reaching the road. A few cars were driving past, but there weren't many pedestrians. 'Still fast asleep in their beds, lucky beggars,' thought Riza grimly as she reached her own car and unlocked it. She opened the driver's door, and the strong scent of musky cologne hit her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose in disdain as she took her position before the steering wheel - the Colonel really needed to stop using her as a taxi service. Either that, or he needed to stop showering himself in perfume.

The engine rattled and jerked to life, and Riza picked Black Hayate up from the wet pavement and placed him in the passenger's seat, where he sat up straight, wagging his tail as Riza shut the door. Riza pressed her foot down, and the black car sped down the near-empty road before disappearing around the corner.

"Brother?"

_Go away..._

"Are you awake yet?"

_Go away, Alphonse... Let me sleep for a while longer..._

"Brother!"

Edward Elric could barely stop himself from screeching as he was jerked out of his bed and sent flying to the wooden floor. He hit his head hard on his bedside table, and groaned as he sat up, leaning against the bed. He gingerly ran his fingers through his blond hair and moaned – great, he had a bump the size of Briggs painfully forming on the crown of his head. He looked up and glared at his younger brother, who stood before him laughing sheepishly, clearly feeling rather guilty. "You're the worst alarm clock ever, Al," grumbled Edward, rubbing the bump. The youngest Elric brother made an offended little noise, and marched away from the bedroom without a word. Edward groaned again, and pulled himself to his feet. He padded across the bare room, calling to his brother, "Oh, come on, Al! Don't be like that!"

He followed Alphonse to the kitchen, and was surprised to see his brother kneeling on the floor, hastily trying to hide something as Edward entered. The bright light of the kitchen made his golden eyes ache, but Edward did not turn away from Alphonse. He could see what his brother was hiding, because the youngster was not doing a very good job of it. Edward sighed, and muttered tiredly, "Where did you get it from, Alphonse?'

Alphonse turned his head to Edward, his silver helmet shining in the morning light. In his vast arms sat a black and white kitten, purring and rubbing its tiny body against Alphonse's armoured arms. He put his hand in front of the cat, as if trying to stop Edward from taking the little animal away from him. "I found him outside in the storm, Brother," said Alphonse in a small voice. He cast his glowing red eyes to the ground as he delicately held the kitten in his leathery hands. "I couldn't leave him out there. Not all by himself..."

"We can't afford to look after a cat, Alphonse! We can barely look after ourselves, let alone a cat!" The Elric Brothers soon launched into their usual debate over kittens. We can't look after it, Edward would say. I'll look after it, Alphonse would insist. Edward would then try and throw the kitten out, but Alphonse would threaten to knock Edward out if he dared to even touch his precious kitten. And as usual, Edward would give up.

Defeated, he sank into a kitchen chair and rested his head in his single human arm while Alphonse cooed and tickled the little kitten in glee. "You can only keep it until it's old enough to fend for itself," warned Edward from the table, but Alphonse took no notice. He hurried to the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk, before he took out a small bowl and poured into it some milk. He placed it before the kitten, which lapped it up gratefully with a happy mew. From the table, Edward grunted. "Oh sure, feed the cat but don't bother with your poor hard-working brother."

"We only have milk and bread left," replied Alphonse with a shrug. He returned the milk to the refrigerator, knowing there was no point offering Edward the milk (or 'the Devil's substance' as his brother often called it). Alphonse instead pulled out a slightly stale chunk of bread and tossed it to his brother, who tore into it hungrily. "I'll go get some groceries while you're at work, Brother," promised Alphonse, sitting down beside the table, the chair groaning under the weight of his armoured body. Edward nodded, still wolfing down the hunk of bread. After a few minutes, he could feel Alphonse staring at him. He glanced up and gave his brother a questioning look. Alphonse looked away, before asking quietly, "Does it taste good, Brother?"

Edward lowered the bread to the table, lost for words for a brief moment. He then shook his head and laughed lowly. "It tastes like dog crap," he said. "Don't worry, Al. When we get our bodies back, you won't be eating shit like this."

Alphonse seemed to perk up hearing this. "Will I get to eat Winry's apple pie?" he asked excitedly, standing up eagerly. Edward laughed, also standing up.

"Of course! And Aunt Pinako's stew," he added with a reminiscent smile. He shivered suddenly in the chilly kitchen, and turned away from his brother. "I should get dressed now, I guess." He left his brother in the kitchen and went back to his bedroom, which doubled as the living room. He stepped over a teetering pile of alchemy textbooks and a toolbox that Winry had left behind after her last visit, before reaching the door which led to the tiny bathroom.

"Brother!" came Alphonse's voice. "It's almost seven o' clock! You gotta be in Central Command in ten minutes!"

Edward cursed loudly and dove into the cluttered bathroom. Four minutes later (after getting dressed and brushing his teeth whilst simultaneously relieving himself), he was flat on his stomach, looking for his boots under Alphonse's unused bed.

"Right, Al, see you!" he said once his boots were strapped to his mismatched feet. As he was leaving the apartment, Alphonse reappeared, holding the kitten in his arms.

"Brother, you forgot to braid your hair."

Edward sighed impatiently and pushed his long blond hair out of his face. "I'll deal with it later."

"See you soon, Brother. Be safe!"

Edward waved his hand loftily at his brother, and left the apartment. He clicked the door shut and started to hurry along the long balcony, his boots splashing in puddles left from the earlier storm. He paused on the stairwell to tie his laces, and used the pause as a chance to look around.

The streets were silent, with absolutely no sign of life. Every sane person's tucked up in bed, thought Edward grumpily as he started to hurry down the stairs. He really didn't fancy running the two miles to Central Command, but if he was late one more time, that bastard of a Colonel would burn him alive.

A distant rumble behind him made Edward turn around. Down the street, he could see an automobile driving towards him, and it was a very familiar automobile at that. He smiled as the vehicle slowed down to a stop and the door swung open, revealing his fellow soldier Riza Hawkeye.

"Need a lift, Edward?" she said, her blonde head poking out from behind the door. Her dog barked a greeting at Edward. Edward grinned and hurried into the front passenger seat. Black Hayate was unceremoniously booted into the back seats.

"Great timing, Lieutenant, thanks!" said Edward, buckling into his seat as Riza started down the road again.

"I'm tired of you being late all the time," she answered firmly, but there was a small smile playing on her lips. Edward laughed, but soon frowned as he started to sniff the air.

"God, Lieutenant, why does your car smell like cologne?" He paused, and laughed uproariously. "The Colonel! Oh, Lieutenant, you sly thing!"

Riza did not look amused. She continued to watch the road as she said, "The Colonel and I are nothing more than fellow soldiers. He is my superior, Edward, and I am his subordinate. Though he seems to think that I am his personal taxi as well," she added with an annoyed expression.

Edward laughed beside her. "Sure, Lieutenant, sure."

For a while, Riza said nothing. "...What if we were?"

Riza's quiet question caught Edward off guard. His eyebrows arched ever so slightly as he eyed the Lieutenant, whose face was still a stone mask. Her eyes, however, were uncertain.

"A couple, Lieutenant?" asked Edward softly. He saw a brief expression of surprise break through Riza's mask, as if the thought made her uncomfortable.

"I suppose," she said reluctantly, her eyes still not meeting Edward's. Edward sighed and leaned back into his seat, out of his comfort zone.

"I don't know, Lieutenant. It isn't really any of my business."

"I suppose it isn't."

A long silence fell as the car ambled down the roads. Edward was surprised. Very surprised. He and the other soldiers often teased the Lieutenant and Colonel's close relationship, but who would've thought that the Lieutenant actually wanted to be more than just a subordinate? It was too much for Edward. He didn't know much about love. Sure, he used to harbour feelings for his friend Winry Rockbell, but not anymore. And he didn't want to even try understanding the complex and perverted mind of Colonel Roy Mustang. That man went out with a different girl every night, much to poor Jean Havoc's displeasure. Would such a womaniser ever truly appreciate a good woman like Riza Hawkeye?

It wasn't long before they finally reached Central Command's front gate. Two soldiers stood on either side of the gates, while another one was stationed in the gatehouse. The gatehouse soldier came walking out as the Lieutenant stopped her car.

"I didn't know you were working today, First Lieutenant," said the soldier as Riza wound her window down. "Is the Colonel working you too hard?"

A rare smile fleeted onto Riza's face. "No, Falman, I'm just covering for the new guy – Noir-Andrews. And bringing Edward in, seeing as he's late... as usual."

Vato Falman laughed, and said to her, "Well, be careful today, Lieutenant. The Colonel apparently didn't go home last night, so he's bound to be in a foul mood this morning." He turned to the other guards and told them to open the gates. They obeyed him, and soon, Riza was parking her car in the courtyard behind Central Command's left wing.

"So the Colonel didn't go home last night, huh?" said Edward as he opened the automobile's back door so Hayate could be let out. He shut the door. "That's not like him."

"He's working too hard these days," replied Riza, clipping a leash onto Hayate's collar and commanding him to follow her. The three made their way to the front doors of the left wing, their feet splashing in the rain puddles.

"'Mornin', Lieutenant, Fullmetal," greeted the grunts stationed at the doors as they made their way into the building. Riza and Edward nodded at them, and started to walk down the long corridors of Central Command. It was still early in the morning, so the hallways were chilly and dark, and very, very empty – most of the soldiers weren't due in until the afternoon. Riza and Edward's footsteps echoed endlessly.

"So, to the library again today, Edward?" said Riza, swinging a gun around her finger; she had a nasty habit of doing so without realising. Edward puffed out his chest in pride.

"Top-secret business, Lieutenant!" he said, grinning his shark-like grin before laughing. However, his laughter was cut short. He stopped walking, causing Riza to stop as well. "That's strange," he said softly with a slight frown. Riza stared at him curiously, and saw that he was looking straight ahead, towards the door which led to the subordinates' shared office.

"What's strange, Fullmetal?"

Edward's frown deepened. "Falman said that Mustang didn't go home, right? So, why aren't the lights on in the office?"

Riza almost laughed aloud. "Oh, come, Edward, he's probably fast asleep on the couch." She brushed past Edward and walked down the corridor, her pistol still being swung around her fingers. Edward followed her, still frowning. It wasn't like the Colonel to be late in the mornings.

Suddenly, Riza stopped in her tracks. The swinging pistol dropped from her hand with a clatter and crashed across the floor. Edward hurried towards her to ask her what was the matter, but he soon found out without having to ask.

A small pool of blood was creeping ever so slowly from under the Colonel's closed door. It was dark blood –old blood. Riza immediately scooped her gun back into her hands and knelt down, ready to shoot any assassin that could be lurking in the Colonel's office. Black Hayate wriggled free from his leash and fled down the corridor, his tail between his legs. Without a word, Edward rushed in front of Riza and crashed into the office, prepared to combat against any thief or murderer.

However, the dark office was empty – at first. Edward flicked the lights on, and nearly yelled aloud. On the floor before him lay the unmoving body of Colonel Roy Mustang, and Edward was standing in his blood.

"Oh my God, Lieutenant, get in here," he whispered, staring wide-eyed at the body before him. He heard Riza rush in and gasp.

"What happened?"

Edward was now on his knees and groping for Mustang's wrist. He found it and - there was a pulse! He carefully lowered his arm and scanned the Colonel's body for any obvious injuries. It seemed that the blood was coming from his mouth, and judging by the dried, cracked blood around his lips, he had been there for quite some time.

"He's breathing," said Edward quietly, watching the Colonel's chest rise and fall slightly. He turned to Riza, who seemed to be frozen to the ground, her eyes wide and her pistol quivering. "Get help. Now!"

Edward's sharp command seemed to jerk Riza out of her paralysed state. She strapped her gun to her belt and fled down the corridor in search of anyone who could help her superior officer. Alone, Edward turned back to Mustang's bloodstained visage. "What the hell happened to you?" he muttered. He slowly nudged Mustang's body to the side so that he was no longer lying in his own blood. Edward decided it was best to not move his body too much, in case there was something wrong with the Colonel's insides. He paused – what on earth _was_ the matter with him? Was he hurt? Was this an injury, or an illness? Edward got up and grabbed a handkerchief from Kain Fuery's desk, and used it to clean the blood from Mustang's face. As he did so, Mustang mumbled something quietly. Edward breathed a sigh of relief – so he was regaining consciousness at last.

"Can you hear me, Colonel?" he said, leaning close to Mustang and watching him carefully.

Mustang muttered something under his breath again, and his head twitched slightly. Very slowly, he opened his dark eyes, which were unfocused and confused. Edward couldn't help but smile – the Colonel wasn't unconscious anymore.

"Fullmetal?" mumbled Mustang, his onyx eyes focusing on Edward's face. Edward nodded.

"You've been unconscious, Colonel. The Lieutenant's gone to get some help, so don't move too much," he added nervously as Mustang gripped the sofa next to him and started to pull himself up. However, before he could get any further, he hissed in terrible pain. Edward caught him as he fell back to the ground, and could do nothing but watch in horror as the Colonel screamed an agonising scream before his body fell limp.

"Colonel? Colonel! Damnit, Mustang!" Edward shook the Colonel's body, but it was useless – he was unconscious again. Panic started to well up inside Edward – what was wrong with Mustang!

The door crashed open and in came three paramedics, Riza Hawkeye and Lieutenant Colonel Karashi Jarrett, who stayed in the doorway, watching the scenario intently with his piercing eyes. Two of the paramedics immediately crouched beside the Colonel's body, whilst the third gently pulled Edward away.

"What's wrong with him?" said Edward immediately, grabbing the medic closest to him. The paramedic was listening to the Colonel's chest, and, judging by the grim look on his face, it wasn't good.

"He has blood partially blocking his airways," he said, wrapping his stethoscope around his neck. He motioned for the other two to fetch a stretcher. "I suspect that it is internal bleeding of the lungs or stomach. He needs to be hospitalised immediately."

Edward, Riza and the silent Jarrett watched as Mustang was gently lowered onto a white stretcher. The main paramedic turned to Edward and Riza. "Which one of you found him?"

"I did," said Edward quietly, staring at the paramedics, who were now wiping away the blood on Mustang's face and waiting for commands from the main paramedic. "I found him about ten minutes ago. He's probably been here since last night."

"I need you to come with us to the hospital, then," said the paramedic, turning away from Edward. He told the paramedics to go ahead with Mustang, and then added to Edward, "If it's an illness, you might've been infected. Plus, we'll need you to tell the story if any of the higher-ups start questioning us."

Edward tried to protest, but before he knew it, he was being led out of the room by the old paramedic. As he left the room, his eyes met with the ridiculously tall Jarrett's piercing ones. "Look after Riza," said Edward softly, so that the stricken Riza would not hear. "She's... in shock."

Jarrett glanced at Riza, and nodded. "Of course," he said. "Shall I keep this hidden from the higher-ups?"

Edward stared at the Colonel for a few moments, and then said, "For now. If they ask, tell them that Mustang has been sent to hospital, but don't tell them the details. Be vague; we don't everyone to panic. And don't tell them that I was the one who found him – I'd rather not have everyone thinking I murdered the Colonel."

"I'll make sure that only the other subordinates are aware," said Jarrett. He, too, understood that it was best to keep this quiet. Edward would have thanked the Lieutenant, but the paramedics had already disappeared around the corner with Mustang. He mouthed a silent thanks to Karashi Jarrett, closed the office door behind him and hurried down the corridor until he had caught up with the medics.

"He's half-conscious so be gentle as you carry him," the older paramedic was saying to the other two. "We don't want to cause any unnecessary pain for the Colonel." When they reached the courtyard, Edward saw that an ambulance was parked right beside the door. He helped the paramedics lift Mustang's stretcher into the back, and he was horrified by how very light the Colonel was. He felt dangerously fragile in Edward's hands and he lowered him carefully into the ambulance. As he and a paramedic sat down beside the Colonel's stretcher, Edward decided that whatever was wrong with Mustang was not something that had sprung up overnight. No; he had been suffering for a while.

The back of the ambulance fell dark as the doors were closed and it lurched into movement, but it did not sound its siren – the paramedics clearly didn't want any unwanted attention from the higher-ups. Edward didn't blame them; he doubted the Fuhrer would be very happy if the entire Military was disrupted by a single loud ambulance. Whenever something exciting happened in the headquarters, the soldiers would drop everything they're doing and behave like over-excited parrots. Edward would probably have to phone the higher-ups sooner or later, but he first had to find out what on earth was the matter with Mustang.

It was dark in the windowless ambulance, but Edward could still hear the Colonel's strained breathing. The paramedic yelled something to the ones in the front cab, and a few seconds later, the lights were switched on.

Mustang looked even worse. His face was drained of any blood and was dangerously pale. His irregular breathing was getting more and more strained. He suddenly coughed, and blood sprayed down his chin.

"His condition's getting worse," said the paramedic beside Edward, wiping away the blood before standing up. He tapped on the window that separated them from the front cab. "Sound the siren, we have to get to the hospital immediately!"

The rest of the journey was a blur to Edward. Before he knew it, Mustang was being rushed away into an operating room while he was left behind in the waiting room. It was a horrendously cramped little room, too. Edward tried to make himself feel comfortable on the hard straight-backed chairs, but found it impossible; he just could not stop fidgeting. He was quite tempted to leave the hospital and go back home to his brother, but he didn't want to leave without finding out what was the matter with the Colonel. Besides, Riza would kill him if she found out he'd left Mustang on his own.

The hours passed by without any news. Occasionally, a nurse would enter the room and ask if everything was alright, which would only result in Edward screeching back, "I'm sixteen years old, woman, not a toddler!" Because of his temper, the nurses stopped checking on him, which meant Edward had no idea what was happening to the Colonel. A nurse had mentioned that it was indeed internal bleeding that Mustang was suffering from, therefore Edward would not have to worry about being infected. But other than that, Edward was kept in the dark.

Edward wondered vaguely what would happen if the Colonel died. Would he be promoted to Brigadier General, even though he's dead? That would actually be hilarious, in a really depressing way. Who would take his place? Riza? Or perhaps the new guy, Derek Noir-Andrews? Maybe Jarrett? ...Himself?

He suddenly shook his head. Why was he thinking about the Colonel's death? Although he wasn't feeling cold, Edward shivered. He shouldn't think of such things – but he couldn't help it. How? How could one of Amestris's strongest leaders fall like this? What had weakened the great Flame Alchemist so? To see him cough up blood and actually scream in agony-

Edward froze. He had seen someone else, too, cough up blood, and it wasn't because of an illness. No... It was because of Human Transmutation. His teacher, Izumi Curtis, had once dabbled with the forbidden alchemy and her desperation to see her child once again had cost her her organs. Had Mustang followed the same foolish path? That stupid man! Hadn't he learned anything from Edward's and Izumi's mistakes?

Edward sighed as he glanced at the clock above the small room's door. One o' clock. He had been here for well over three hours, with no news of the stupid Colonel's condition. Was someone ever going to bloody tell him anything?

"Mr. Elric?"

As if an answer to his question, the door to the waiting room had opened. Edward glanced up and saw a young nurse standing in the doorway, looking rather nervous – she, too, was probably aware of Edward's raw temper.

"Yeah?"

"Dr. Rees would like to talk to you," said the nurse. Edward gulped – he despised doctors. They either brought pain or bad news, and Edward hated both.

The nurse stepped aside and a young man stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. Edward raised an eyebrow – how could this guy be a doctor? He had unkempt brown hair and taped-up glasses, and a generally messy appearance. To add to it, he looked barely older than twenty.

"Let me introduce myself first," he said, sitting down beside Edward. "My name's Dr. Steffan Rees." He offered his hand, but it was ignored.

"What's the matter with the Colonel?"

"Well, he has internal bleeding of the lower org-"

"Yes, yes, I know that!" said Edward impatiently. "But what caused it? Is he going to be okay?"

"Slow down!" exclaimed Rees. "His condition's stable right now. For now, he's been sedated, and should wake up later this afternoon. We managed to stop the bleeding, but it was difficult because, well, something isn't quite right with his body."

Edward stared at the doctor, who seemed to be feeling awkward. "Something isn't right with his body?" he repeated quietly. He leaned closer. "What do you mean by that?"

Rees looked uncomfortable. "To be perfectly honest, Mr. Elric, we're not entirely sure. There seems to be a growth attached to his lower organs – a tumour of some sort. It is probable that this growth is the cause of the bleeding and the pain the Colonel's been suffering from, but we've discovered that we cannot remove it."

Edward frowned. "Why can't you just hack it off with your scalpel?"

"It seems that the growth is, somehow, a part of the Colonel's body. If we cut it, it will bleed profusely and probably kill the Colonel."

Kill.

The word echoed in Edward's mind as he stared at Rees. "Kill?" he repeated, his voice barely a whisper. "But that means it's going to continue to kill the Colonel from the inside if it's kept in there!"

Rees shook his head. "Well, we managed to reposition the growth further away from the key organs, namely the stomach. It's still connected to his body, however. I believe that the bleeding was caused by the growth's position. Every time Colonel Mustang would move or even breathe, the growth would get crushed and, like a volcano, it finally erupted today."

"So," said Edward slowly, "if the growth has been repositioned, it won't harm the Colonel?"

Rees nodded and straightened his battered glasses. "Yes, that's what I believe!" A broad grin appeared on his face for a brief moment, before fading away as a darker expression was formed. "Unfortunately, we cannot determine where the growth could have come from. It isn't cancerous, and it isn't actually attacking the Colonel's cells. I first thought it might be a mutation he's harboured since birth, but then I wondered if it may have something to do with Human Transmutation."

As he talked, Rees was staring directly at Edward, who gaped back. How did this doctor know about Human Transmutation...?

As if he could read Edward's mind, Rees grinned his broad smile. "Oh, I know all about you and your little alchemic antics, Edward Elric! And Mrs. Curtis's."

Edward stared at Rees, his mouth hanging open. How on earth did he know! In his medical files, the cause for Edward's loss of an arm and leg was stated as 'unknown'. And Teacher never went to visit doctors in case they found out about her missing insides.

Rees laughed at Edward's horrified expression. "Don't worry, don't worry, I won't tell anyone. As a medical student, I worked with the Military medics for a few months, and it got a bit quiet sometimes, so I would read people's medical files." He caught Edward glaring at him, and added, "Oh, sue me, it was very dull working there! Nothing ever happened! Anyway, I realised that you, one of the newer alchemists, seemed to be missing an arm and leg, so I checked out your file." He leaned closer, a small smile playing on his lips. "Tell me, Edward. How can one lose two limbs and not know how it happened? Because judging by your medical file, your arm and leg simply disappeared one day. 'Unknown cause', my left foot! You're an alchemic genius, your mother's dead and your father's missing, you refuse to talk about your lack of limbs, and you've been researching the Philosopher's Stone for years - it's obvious that you've performed Human Transmutation, no matter how hard you try to hide it."

Edward still gaped at him. "How do you even know about?"

"I've worked with an alchemist who's done the exact same thing," explained Rees. He stretched his legs and stood up. "Izumi Curtis. I believe she's taught you your alchemic skills, correct? Well, I came across her a few years ago, and I've been her personal doctor ever since I discovered her secret."

"You know Teacher?" Edward was astounded. This man... he knew everything about his life.

Rees nodded. "I travel to Dublith every now and again to check up on her and make sure her life is as comfortable as possible, you see. In fact, we've been working together to find a way to combat the effects of Human Transmutation. Thanks to my brilliance-", Edward glared at him, "-I've been able to prolong her life by at least a couple of decades. She was in terrible condition when I came across her during my travels. It's lucky she confided in me, or else I would not have been able to save her."

Edward was stunned into silence. This man, this young and somewhat strange doctor, seemed to know everything about him. He knew his past, his secrets, his connections... Edward shuddered to think of what else Rees might know, and was unsure whether or not he liked him.

"And so, Mrs. Curtis's condition is very similar to the Colonel's," Rees was saying, unaffected by Edward's obvious shock. "Coughing up blood, internal bleeding, disrupted internals... And, of course, they both possess great alchemic skill."

"So you're saying that Mustang has also attempted Human Transmutation?" said Edward. Rees turned and looked at him and saw the sad and disappointed look in Edward's eyes.

"It's probable, yes," he said softly. "The Colonel has no close relatives, and he's suffered a great deal of losses, as well as depression during the war in 1908. What's curious, however, is that while you and Mrs. Curtis have lost parts of your bodies, the Colonel seems to have gained something. " Rees sighed, and then added in a lighter tone, "Well, we can't be sure until we talk to Colonel Mustang properly! So don't worry too much, alright?" The doctor patted Edward on the shoulder and opened the waiting room door. "Shall we?"

Edward stared at Rees. "Shall we... what?"

Rees laughed and pushed his unruly brown hair out of his eyes. "Edward, if Colonel Mustang really did do Human Transmutation, then your innards could be disrupted as well. It's best for us to give you a brief check-up. And, err, possibly surgery."

Edward almost fell from his chair. "Surgery?" he spluttered, a look of pure horror on his face. "Why?"

Rees leaned on the doorframe and folded his arms. "Well," he said, "it's the only way we can see what's going on in your body. Don't worry; if your body is functioning normally, the surgery won't last longer than ten minutes. And you won't feel a thing!" he added in a bright tone. He caught sight of Edward's face, and said, "Edward, I don't mean to brag – well, I do – but I'm an extremely trustworthy surgeon. I will not tell anyone about your Human Transmutation. Well, except for my assistant, Nurse Kiara, of course." Rees moved aside to reveal the young nurse from a few minutes ago standing in the corridor. She waved at Edward, who frowned.

"Has she been standing there the whole time?"

"Yes."

"And has she heard everything we've just said?"

Rees turned and called to the nurse. "Kiara, did you hear everything we've just said?"

Nurse Kiara shrugged. "Perhaps."

Rees stared at her for a moment with his eyes narrowed in concentration, and then turned back to Edward and said, "I have concluded that yes, yes she has heard everything we've just said."

Edward's lower eyelid twitched. Soon, he was being led down the white corridors of the hospital with Rees on one side and Nurse Kiara on the other. As he walked, he decided that Rees was indeed a very peculiar young man. He often disappeared into wards while they were walking to talk to various patients, before popping back into the corridor and acting as if he'd been there the whole time. To make things stranger, Nurse Kiara acted as if this was perfectly normal. It seemed that she had noticed Edward's unease as she whispered in his ear, "Dr. Rees is a bit eccentric, as you can tell."

Rees heard this and he grinned. "Eccentric you say? Kiara, my dear, I am simply being my friendly self."

Friendly, huh, thought Edward. More like a dog. Edward wouldn't be surprised if Rees started to bark and play fetch. "Ah, here we are," Rees said from the other end of the corridor. He ducked into a room, and Nurse Kiara led a rather unwilling Edward into the room.

It was Rees's office, and the doctor was sitting by his desk with a rather eager grin on his face. As Edward took a seat on the opposite side, he wondered if Rees was secretly some sort of puppy-human chimera; his enthusiasm and cheeriness was worryingly similar to Black Hayate's.

"Kiara, be a dear and close the door, would you?" said Rees, straightening his glasses. Nurse Kiara did as she was told and then sat beside Edward. Rees rested his elbows on his desk and made a bridge with his fingers before resting his chin on them. "So," he said to Edward with a curled lip, "when was the last time you had a medical exam, Mr. Elric?"

Edward gulped. This was not going to be the most pleasant of experiences.


	3. Chapter 2: Surgery

**_Author's Note: _**_Heavens above, I am terrible at updating! I've actually written a lot of this story, but I keep forgetting to post the chapters. My bad! Now, shit gets slightly more exciting in this chapter. Enjoy, enjoy!_**_  
_**

It was unusually quiet in the subordinates' office, but no one seemed to care, or even notice. Everyone was tense and withdrawn, wondering what on earth could have caused their leader to be weakened so. Second Lieutenant Havoc had tried phoning Central Hospital several times, but the doctors refused to speak to them. For all they knew, thought the subordinates, their Colonel was dead.

Riza got up from her desk and looked at her fellow soldiers. Karashi Jarrett was sitting by the telephone, resting his head in his arms while he waited for the telephone to ring. Riza noted that the man was looking paler than ever. He had always been an unhealthy-looking man ever since he joined the Military a few years ago, with his bruised and scarred eyes and his ghostly-white skin, but it seemed that his worry for the Colonel was making him look even worse than usual. Kain Fuery, too, didn't look his best. He was absent-mindedly petting Black Hayate and averting his gaze, unnaturally quiet from his usual cheery self. A few hours ago, he had walked into the office and stumbled into the Colonel's pool of blood, scaring the wits out of him. The others had suggested that he go home, but he refused to leave until he was certain that the Colonel was alright.

The door opened. Everyone glanced up, but it was only Derek Noir-Andrews and his assistant. He marched straight towards Riza, his expression steely, Isadora Liner behind him. Riza saw that they were not wearing their uniforms.

"What on earth is going on?" said Derek, his right eye narrowing as his synthetic left eye cast its piercing gaze on Riza. "Just because the Colonel's in hospital doesn't mean you all have the right to abandon your work!"

"Aren't you supposed to be at home today, Lieutenant? And how do you know about the Colonel?" Riza noticed suddenly that Derek was walking with a cane.

The young man leaned against the wall and folded his arms. "I was at hospital – for obvious reasons," he added, pointing at his left leg. Riza looked down and saw that the automail was coming loose, and was clearly causing some pain for Derek. "While I was there," he was saying, "I saw the Colonel being rushed in, with the Fullmetal Alchemist behind him." He paused, and stared at Riza. "What on earth did I miss? Did Fullmetal murder the Colonel or something?"

Riza pulled Derek and Isadora aside and quietly explained the details. Isadora's eyes grew wider and wider as she heard what had happened, but she remained silent – as usual. Derek, however, reacted in a different way. Although clearly shaken, he suddenly turned to the other soldiers with a steely gaze. "Stop acting like children!" he barked, making Fuery jump. "Mustang's not going anywhere, and neither are we." He stomped the floor with his cane. "Get back to work."

It seemed that Derek's words were what everyone needed. They almost seemed to snap out of their withdrawn moods, and return to their usual work. Within minutes, everything had more than less returned to normal, save for the Colonel's empty seat. Derek limped over to the chair; Riza half expected him to sit down in it. However, Derek walked past the chair, and sat beside his usual desk, sighing in relief as his leg was given a chance to rest. Just seconds after he had sat down, Isadora was on her knees with a spanner in her hand, adjusting her superior's loose automail with her hand.

"There's no need for that now, Isadora," said Derek quietly. He disliked showing his weaker side to the others. He tried to pull away from her, but she had a tight grip on his lower leg. Derek knew that she disapproved of him working when he was supposed to be in hospital. However, she glanced up at him and flashed a rare smile.

"If you resist, Lieutenant, you won't be the only one being sent to the hospital via ambulance today."

Derek laughed and started to answer her with a witty comeback, but was cut off by the telephone ringing. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch Riza walk over to the phone and answer it.

"First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye speaking."

The others tried to listen to the conversation, but were stopped by Derek snapping, "Back to your stations!" His terrifying appearance and harsh voice successfully spooked the subordinates, and they all returned to what they were doing.

Riza placed the receiver back on the hook. She sighed and leaned against the wall, before realising that everyone was looking at her. She turned, and the others saw she had a small smile on his face.

"Mustang's alive, everyone."

A grin broke onto everyone's faces; Fuery even whooped and punched the air. Karashi Jarrett, however, suddenly frowned. "That was a short conversation, Lieutenant," he noted. "Why?"

Riza sat down beside him and shrugged. "The doctor was in a rush. I didn't quite catch his name, but he apparently wants to operate on Edward."

"_Operate? _On Fullmetal? Why?"

Riza shrugged her shoulders again. "He said that the Colonel's condition is connected to alchemy, and that he wants to double-check that Edward isn't suffering from the same problem."

Karashi leaned back in his chair. "Alchemy, huh? I hope this won't affect him in any way, or else we're looking at Lieutenant Bighead being promoted to Colonel and running things around here."

"Are you talking about me, or Lieutenant Noir-Andrews?"

Karashi paused, and laughed. "I suppose Lieutenant Bighead could be aptly used for both of you, but I was referring to Noir-Andrews."

"Could you say that a bit louder, Sir?" said Derek from the other side of the room. "I don't think the deaf old lady down the street quite heard you."

"I was kidding, you humourless git," said Karashi, laughing. Derek scowled.

"I apologise. I've been under the impression that jokes are supposed to be funny. I see I was incorrect."

Karashi stopped laughing. "Does blood run through your veins, or just pure cold sarcasm?"

"Oh stop it," snapped Riza. "Both of you. You're acting like children."

"Hear that, Derek?" called Karashi. "You're acting like a child!"

"You're barely half a year older than me, Karashi. That does not give you authority over me."

"You're a Lieutenant, and I am a Lieutenant Colonel, therefore I have authority over you, and you are a lowly grunt who sucks my-"

"Karashi!" warned Riza. She was ignored by both men.

"At least I'm not a six foot five giant," retorted Derek.

"Six foot seven, actually," grinned Karashi.

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

There was a pause.

"Was your father a giraffe by any chance?"

"Okay, okay, fun's over," sighed Riza. She stood up and looked at Karashi, who grinned sheepishly at her. "You're a Lieutenant Colonel, Karashi, so act like one! The doctor told me that the Colonel's probably going to recover nicely, but doubts that he'll be able to work for at least a few weeks. Which means," she said, narrowing her eyes at Karashi, "_you'll _be in charge of things around here."

Karashi raised his eyebrows as he realised this. "Why, you're right, Lieutenant!" He grinned again and turned to Derek. "Hear that, Derek? I'm the king around these parts now!"

"Delightful," said Derek, not raising his head from his paperwork.

"You sound sour, Lieutenant!" exclaimed Karashi, standing up and going over to where Derek sat trying to do some work. He leaned down. "If you're nice to me and behave like a good little boy, I'll let you wear my crown sometimes."

"Go to Hell, Karashi Jarrett!"

Derek tried to kick Karashi, but the Lieutenant Colonel swiftly dodged, laughing, before tripping over Black Hayate and landing with a heavy thud on the floor. Derek laughed uproariously, leaning on his cane to get a good look at the fallen Karashi, who was furiously cussing Riza's dog.

"Karashi, you're a famed chimera tamer, you're supposed to love all creatures!" said Derek with a broad grin. Karashi pulled himself to his feet and brushed his trousers, ignoring Derek.

Lieutenant Havoc tossed his cigarette into the bin. "Alright, I'm starting to agree with Lieutenant Hawkeye," he said, frowning at the seething Karashi and the laughing Derek. "Now isn't the time to be acting like fools."

"Finally, someone who makes sense!" exclaimed Riza. "Thank you, Havoc." She turned to Derek. "Lieutenant, I advise you to make the most of your day off and return home. The reason you have a day off in the first place is because you've been feeling ill; I don't want you to be the second man we hospitalise today. And you," she said to Karashi, "should be doing something of use. You're the head honcho now. I believe you should phone young Alphonse Elric and inform him of his brother's whereabouts."

Karashi sighed and sat by his desk, stretching out for the telephone. "You're such a killjoy, Hawkeye," he muttered as he dialled the Elric household's number. "We were just trying to lighten the mood. The atmosphere here is so depressing now! And that pool of blood is starting to freak me out." He shuddered as he started to ring the Elric household. "I mean, it's like it's staring at me or something. And – oh, that's just disgusting, Black Hayate! Mustang's blood is not your toy, get out!"

Alphonse walked into his home just in time to hear the phone ringing. How strange, he thought as he lowered his grocery bags full of food for Edward on the table. No one ever phoned the Elric household. Well, Mustang prank-called them once, when he was very bored and very drunk, but he swore he'd never do it again after Edward tracked him down and gave him a bloody nose in front of his very attractive date. So who was phoning now? Well, there's only one way to find out.

"Alphonse Elric speaking!"

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Karashi Jarrett of Central Command Military." Alright, this was definitely not a drunk Mustang. Unless he's changed his name and been demoted, or something.

"Is this Edward Elric's younger brother?" continued the unfamiliar voice.

Alphonse nervously wrapped the phone cord around his finger. What was going on? "Um, yes, I'm him. Why? Is there something wrong with my brother?"

"No, no, don't worry, Fullmetal's fine," said the Lieutenant Colonel. "Colonel Mustang, however, isn't. He was hospitalised today due to an unknown illness of some sort – we're unsure of the details. The Colonel's doctor is worried that Fullmetal, too, might be suffering from the same condition, so he's going to be keeping your brother in overnight; to examine and monitor him, I believe."

"Examine him?" repeated Alphonse, confused. The penny suddenly dropped. "You mean they're going to operate on Brother?"

"Err, well..." There was a brief rumble from the Lieutenant Colonel's side. Alphonse heard him hastily whisper to someone, "I don't know what to say! Hawkeye, you talk to him!" and before he knew it, the comforting voice of Riza Hawkeye was on the line.

"Alphonse, it's alright, Edward's absolutely fine."

"Are you sure? Brother can't stand doctors... And what happened to the Colonel?"

Alphonse could sense Riza's hesitation. "Well, we found him unconscious this morning," she said carefully. "We're not sure exactly what's wrong with him, but the doctor told us that he's through the worst of it. It's apparently related to alchemy, which is why Edward is also being examined."

"What's the doctor called? Which hospital is he in? I want to see him right now!" said Alphonse, clenching his metal fists.

"Calm yourself, Alphonse," said Riza firmly. "He's in Central Hospital, but I advise you not to –"

But it was no use. Alphonse had already hung up.

The sun was warm and pleasant on Roy's skin. It felt so good. He had never felt so comfortable in his life. He had no idea where he was, and he couldn't find the strength to open his eyes to find out. Oh well, he thought, sighing contently. He hadn't felt so peaceful for such a long time...

Something was scratching at the back of his mind, a distant memory that he couldn't quite remember. It wasn't a nice memory, he was sure of that. He tried to ignore it, but it continued to pester his mind until he suddenly remembered an agonising pain. That pain! It was worse than anything he'd ever felt before in his life. Perhaps that pain had killed him? Maybe he was in Heaven now. Well, if he was in Heaven, he'd never have to worry about the pain again... No, he could just relax in eternal peace now, far from his mundane life and troubled past, far from any agony...

Roy hissed as he felt a sharp jab in his lower abdomen, as if someone was prodding him with a jagged knife. He opened his eyes and sat up, and was so confused by his surroundings that he almost forgot about his painful stomach.

He was lying on a bed of starch-white sheets in a long room of similar beds and metal trolleys. The warmth he had been feeling earlier was coming from an oil lamp on the nightstand beside his bed.

He was in hospital. Why? He couldn't remember anything. His memory was hazy and unfocused. For how long had he been here? He glanced through the small window at the end of the room and saw the sun was setting, casting a peaceful orange glow on the hospital ward. He couldn't remember anything from that morning – had there been an attack? Had he been knocked out?

"You're awake, huh?"

Roy jumped. Startled, he turned to see that the bed to his left was occupied by none other than Edward Elric, dressed in hospital attire similar to Roy's.

"Fullmetal?" spluttered Roy, baffled. "What're you doing here? No; what am _I _doing here?" Roy noticed that Edward was paler than usual and didn't look at all well. "Are you alright?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Edward shook his head. "I'm fine... I'm glad you're alright, too, Colonel." His voice was quiet. "When I found you unconscious this morning, I actually thought you were dead."

Unconscious...? Roy suddenly remembered everything. The pain in his stomach, the darkness enveloping him, the blood... oh, the blood...

"This doctor operated on you and pretty much saved your life," Edward was saying, sounding worryingly weak. "He said that you should be okay now... but he operated on me too because I've also done Human Transmutation."

Roy froze. He had been inspecting the thin scar beneath his navel, and turned his head to stare at Edward, cold sweat trickling from his brow. Edward was staring back at him with tired eyes. Roy leant back. No... How did he know...? How did he know about his Human Transmutation?

Edward's eyes grew sadder. "You're not denying it," he said softly. He averted his eyes. "I was hoping that the doctor was wrong, that he had made a mistake. I can't believe you, Colonel. I can't believe you were stupid enough to do Human Transmutation after what happened to Al and me."

Roy was stricken. "Edward, I have no idea how you found out about my Human Transmutation, but I'll tell you this; I did it before you even thought about it. And I've regretted it ever since," he added quietly.

There was a silence. It seemed that Edward was too disgusted with Roy to even look at him. Roy sighed and turned around in his bed, his back to Edward. He was starting to wonder if Edward had fallen asleep when he heard the boy's quiet voice ask; "Have you been in pain... since then?"

Roy sat up and glanced at Edward. He was still looking away from Roy. "Yeah," said Roy softly. "But it's been getting worse. You said that I've had an operation to cure it, but my stomach still hurts like hell."

"It'll sort itself out –", Edward suddenly froze. His eyes widened until they looked like they were going to pop out of his skull. His face was grey and covered in sweat. Roy could only watch in horror as Edward's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell out of his bed.

"Fullmetal! Edward!" Ignoring his agonising stomach, Roy scrambled out of his bed and kneeled beside Edward, whose body was twitching and jerking violently. Roy realised that his automail limbs had been removed because of the surgery. Roy froze – what should he do! Desperate, he hoisted Edward into his arms and rushed out of the ward and into the hospital corridor. The corridor was empty, but as Roy stood there trying to figure out what to do next, someone appeared around the corner.

"Ah, Colonel, you're awake I see!" said a young-looking doctor, approaching Roy, not seeming to notice Edward. "Now, I know you must be feeling a lot better after my brilliant self operated on you, but you really shouldn't be up and about for a couple of days yet, so-" The doctor paused and frowned, finally noticing Edward. His airy smile slipped off his face. "What on earth happened!"

"He just collapsed and started having a... a fit or something," said Roy. Edward's spasms had calmed down, but he was now unconscious in Roy's arms.

The doctor did not answer. He turned around and called out, "Nurse Kiara! Or any nurse, I don't really care! Get me a- oh, flip it, I'll carry him myself, it'll be far quicker." Sharply, the doctor jerked Edward out of Roy's grip and rushed down the corridor and around the corner, disappearing completely from view.

Roy stood dumbstruck for a while before rushing down the corridor after him, his bare feet slapping against the cold marble floor. He sped down a couple of corridors and was so concentrated on catching up with the doctor that he nearly crashed into a nurse.

"Sorry," he said quickly, trying to side-step her, but the nurse grabbed his arm.

"Colonel Mustang, you're not well enough to be standing up right now, let alone chasing people."

Roy tried to argue, but realised that following Edward and the doctor would not help anyone, especially himself. He did not resist as the nurse led him back to his hospital room and into his bed. As he lay down, Roy felt embarrassed with himself – what on earth had caused him to chase the doctor and Edward like some mad fool?

"It's alright, Dr. Rees is a brilliant surgeon," said the nurse reassuringly as she straightened Roy's pillows. "It's likely that Edward Elric had a reaction to the anaesthetic. It's unusual, but not unheard of, and rarely life-threatening."

Roy stared at the nurse. "How do you know?"

The nurse shrugged and then laughed. "Dr. Rees ran past with Mr. Elric in his arms, shouting, "He's having a reaction to the anaesthetic! Shit! But don't panic, I'm brilliant."" she said with a slight smile. Her eyes softened at Roy's expression. "Don't worry, Colonel. Edward Elric is in safe hands. Dr. Rees may be a bit eccentric, but he's a good doctor."

"You better hope so," muttered Roy. The nurse smiled again.

"I know so." She raised her hand. "He's my fiancé, after all." There was a white-gold ring on her left hand, glinting noticeably in the dying sunlight.

Roy found it hard to care much. "That's lovely," he said impatiently, "but I would really quite like to know what on earth is wrong with me, and why Edward was here in the first place. Edward gave me a general explanation before he collapsed, but I want the details."

The nurse did not seem offended by Roy's words. She sat on the edge of his bed. "Well," she started, "my name's Kiara Angleman. I'm Dr. Steffan Rees's main assistant. You were brought into hospital early this morning by our paramedics, and Edward Elric. The paramedics told us that Edward and another officer – Lieutenant Hawkeye, I believe – found you on your office floor in a pool of blood."

Roy gulped as he realised he had been found unconscious in front of two of his subordinates; by the time he went back to work, the story will have spread and he'll be a laughing stock.

"We immediately operated on you to obstruct the bleeding, because it was blocking your airways and suffocating you," Nurse Kiara was saying. Her expression was very serious. "You're incredibly lucky that the Lieutenant and Edward Elric found you in time. Another half-hour, and you would have been dead."

Roy said nothing. Nurse Kiara looked at him for a while, before continuing with what she was saying.

"As I said, we operated on you straight away. We discovered that the cause of your bleeding was coming from a growth of some sort, attached to your lower body. We tried to extract it, but it only caused more bleeding. We've managed to partly detach it and reposition it to an area where it will cause much less pain, though. Have you been experiencing pain for a while, Colonel?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah," he said. "It started a few years ago, and, well, it's been getting worse recently."

"I see," said Nurse Kiara. She stood up, her back to Roy. "It should stop hurting once the swelling goes down. Now..." She turned back to Roy, casting her sharp green eyes on him. "What made you do Human Transmutation?"

Roy sighed. "Before I answer, what made you suspect that I've done Human Transmutation?" He was getting tired of the assumptions, even if they were correct.

The nurse twisted her ring around her finger and said simply; "Dr. Rees is a sharp man. He's worked with alchemists like you and Mr. Elric before now, and knows how to spot a person who's performed it. He believes that the equivalent exchange has taken something from you, but he does not know what. Your immune system, perhaps. Judging by your medical history, you're not the healthiest man around town, Colonel. But it doesn't explain the growth inside you..."

Nurse Kiara was interrupted by the door suddenly opening. Roy sat up and craned his neck to see who it was, and saw Alphonse Elric standing in the doorway with a nurse panting behind him. "I'm sorry, Kiara!" breathed the nurse apologetically. "I tried to stop him, but he would not listen to me!"

Alphonse was already in the ward and marching towards Roy. Nurse Kiara stood up and frowned at Alphonse, displeased with the fact that there was a giant suit of armour standing before her and disrupting the hospital.

"The Colonel is not well enough to speak to visitors," she said firmly. "Please leave at once."

Alphonse paused, and stared back and forth between the nurse and Roy. Roy could tell he wanted to speak urgently, and turned to Nurse Kiara.

"Alphonse is an acquaintance of mine," he said to her. He raised his hand dismissively. "I wish to speak to him in private – that is an order," he added sternly as Nurse Kiara opened her mouth to argue. She scowled at Roy, before bustling out of the room and disappearing down the corridor along with the other nurse, who still looked confused.

Once they were out of sight, Alphonse shakily sat down on the bed beside Roy's.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "Lieutenant Hawkeye rang and told me that Edward was in hospital, and I guess I over-reacted a bit. I'll apologise to the nurses, but not until I find out what, exactly, is the matter." He cast his glowing eyes on Roy, who sighed.

"Your brother's had surgery to check his organs," he quietly explained. He glanced at the door, and added, "And it's partially my fault."

"Your fault?" repeated Alphonse, cocking his steel head. "But how?"

Again, Roy checked the door to make sure that no one was listening, before murmuring, "Long story short, I did Human Transmutation, and now I'm paying the price. The doctor – Rees, or something – found out, and was worried that Fullmetal was in the same condition as me. Thankfully, he isn't, but he had a nasty reaction to the anaesthetic they used, so he's being sorted out right now."

Alphonse seemed too shocked to speak at first. He stared at Roy. "You... did Human Transmutation, Colonel?"

Roy lowered his head slightly. "I did," he admitted. "I did it before you two even thought of it. I got luckier than you; at first, I thought I escaped the Transmutation without having to suffer from Equivalent Exchange. But, when I started to throw up blood and lose consciousness every now and again, I realised I was, in fact, dying." He raised his head, and added quietly, "I was a dying man, and I'm not even thirty yet. If Edward hadn't found me this morning, you all would probably be organising my funeral right now."

Alphonse shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you did Human Transmutation, sir! But... why? How?"

Roy snorted quietly. "I was stupid and depressed. I won't go into detail, Alphonse; no one wants to hear my sob story."

Alphonse looked as if he really did want to hear the story, but decided it was best to leave the subject for now. The two sat in complete silence for a long while, and a tense atmosphere started to form. The awkwardness was shattered immediately, however, when a squeaky meow came straight from Alphonse's armour.

Roy smirked as Alphonse sprang to his feet and grabbed his abdomen. "Oil!" he exclaimed. "I haven't been oiled for weeks! Man, I'm getting creaky, huh! Ahaha!"

Roy cocked an eyebrow. "Keeping a kitten in there, Alphonse?"

Alphonse stopped moving and dropped his head in shame. "Yes," he admitted. He peered down at Roy. "Please don't tell the nurses."

"Your secret's safe with me," said Roy, rolling his eyes. "Really, Al, I thought you'd know better than to bring a cat in here."

"I panicked, alright?" retorted Alphonse. He opened his chest plate and pulled out a furry little kitten, who meowed louder still. It wriggled out of Alphonse's grasp, and landed right on Roy's stomach.

Hissing in pain, Roy doubled over and groaned, as Alphonse quickly scooped the kitten into his arms.

"I'm so sorry!" he squeaked, mortified. "Are you alright? Oh my God, Chibi, you've killed the Colonel!"

"I'm alright," breathed Roy, leaning back and sinking into his pillows. "He just landed on my stomach, that's all."

Alphonse still looked doubtful, but he did not comment any further. He closed the ward door, and allowed Chibi to run around on the floor. For a while, he and Roy sat in complete silence, simply watching Chibi. The cat suddenly leaped onto Roy's bed again, but this time he was prepared. He scooped Chibi into the air, and the kitten stared at him with wide eyes, before starting to purr.

"I didn't know you liked cats," said Alphonse, surprised.

Roy lowered Chibi to his lap, and he immediately curled up and nestled himself in the bedcovers, still purring contently. "I'm not a huge fan," he admitted, "but they're strong-willed and independent. I like that." He picked the now-sleeping kitten up, and handed him over to Alphonse. "A hospital is no place for a cat, Alphonse, and keeping him in your armour isn't exactly a good plan either. It's best for you to get him back to your apartment, before he wakes up."

Alphonse carefully placed the slumbering kitten inside his chest, and closed it up. "I guess you're right." He glanced at Roy. "What about you? Will you be alright here?"

Roy nodded. "I'll be fine, Alphonse, but thank you. And don't worry about Edward; I'm sure he'll be absolutely fine."

Alphonse looked uncertain. "I don't know, Colonel... Maybe I should stay, just until he comes back..."

"Alphonse," sighed Roy, "Edward will be fine, I swear. It's best that you come back tomorrow morning, with Chibi at home and the nurses not absolutely furious with you." He looked at Alphonse, and allowed himself to smile softly. "I'll tell your brother that you were here."

Alphonse still looked reluctant to leave, but he got up nonetheless. Waving goodbye to the Colonel, he opened the door, and left the room. Roy could hear him clanking down the corridor long after he had disappeared from sight. Once all was silent again, Roy sighed. He saw that it was now completely dark outside, and he was feeling quite worn out after the events of the past hour. All he wanted to do now was to close his eyes and sleep, but he didn't want to rest until he knew Edward was alright. Usually, he didn't care that much about Edward's wellbeing; as long as the kid was still alive, Roy was fine, but watching Edward have a fit and be carried away had shaken him quite a bit. He now wanted to watch over Edward, to make sure that he was alright. He vowed to stay awake until Edward returned, but by the time Nurse Kiara returned to the ward with a tray of food at suppertime, Roy was sound asleep.

_Urrrrrgh, I'm so sorry for my very long chapters! But it'll be well-worth it in the end, my friendlies! At least, I hope so. Review, my darlings!_


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